MedicineNet

Chest Pain Center - McAllen, TX

WebMD Physician Directory

McAllen, Texas

Upcoming Local Events

2012-05-26
2012-06-17
The Virtual Father's Day Run - Brownsville
Throughout Brownsville, Texas
2012-06-17
The Virtual Father's Day Run - McAllen
Throughout McAllen, Texas
2012-06-23
2012-11-11
World Run Day 2012 Registration - Brownsville
Throughout Brownsville, Texas
2012-11-11

Chest Pain

Introduction

Chest pain is one of the most common complaints that will bring a patient to the Emergency Department. Seeking immediate care may be lifesaving, and considerable public education has been undertaken to get patients to access medical care when chest pain strikes. While the patient may be worried about a heart attack, there are many other causes of pain in the chest that the healthcare provider will need to consider. Some diagnoses are life threatening, while others are less dangerous.

Deciding the cause of chest pain is sometimes very difficult and may require blood tests, x-rays, CT scans and other tests to sort out the diagnosis. Often though, a careful history taken by the healthcare provider may be all that is needed to find the answer.

What are the sources of chest pain?

The source of pain may arise from a variety of potential sources:

  • the chest wall including the ribs, the muscles, and the skin;
  • the back including the spine, the nerves, and the back muscles;
  • the lung, the pleura (the lining of the lung) or the trachea;
  • the heart including the pericardium (the sac that surrounds the heart);
  • the aorta;
  • the esophagus;
  • the diaphragm, the flat muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavities;
  • referred pain from abdominal organs like the stomach, gallbladder, and pancreas.

While each source of chest pain may have a classic presentation of signs and symptoms, there is significant overlap among the symptoms of each condition, and the symptoms may also be affected by age, gender and race.

What are the causes of chest pain?

Pain can be caused by almost every structure in the chest. Different organs can produce different types of pain but unfortunately the pain is not specific to each cause. Each of the following ca...

Recommended Reading Related to Chest Pain

Smoking (How to Quit Smoking) »

Smoking and quitting smoking facts

  • Although smoking is an addiction, people can quit smoking.
  • Secondhand smoke is harmful to the health of children, unborn children, family members, and coworkers.
  • Quitting smoking cuts the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory diseases.
  • The steps in quitting, each of which requires special attention and efforts by the smoker, are getting ready to quit, quitting, and staying quit.
  • A number of techniques are available to assist people who want to quit, including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), behavioral modification, self-help literature, and prescription medications.
  • In nicotine replacement therapy, which is the cornerstone of most smoking cessation programs, another source of nicotine is substituted while the cigarettes are stopped. (The idea of nicotine replacement therapy is to eliminate both...

Emergency Contact for McAllen

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby McAllen Hospitals *

McAllen Medical Center
301 W Expressway 83
Mcallen, TX 78503
(956)632-4000

Rio Grande Regional Hospital
101 E Ridge Rd
Mcallen, TX 78503
(956)632-6000

McAllen Heart Hospital
1900 South D St
Mcallen, TX 78503
(956)994-2401

LifeCare Hospitals of South Texas McAllen Campus North
5101 N Jackson Rd
Mcallen, TX 78504
(956)926-7000

LifeCare Hospitals of South Texas McAllen Campus South
2001 South M St
Mcallen, TX 78503
(956)688-4300

Edinburg Regional Medical Center
1102 W Trenton Rd
Edinburg, TX 78539
(956)388-6000

Mission Regional Medical Center
900 South Bryan Rd
Mission, TX 78572
(956)580-9000

Doctors Hospital At Renaissance
5501 S McColl Rd
Edinburg, TX 78539
(956)661-7100

Cornerstone Regional Hospital
2302 Cornerstone Blvd
Edinburg, TX 78539
(956)618-4444

Knapp Medical Center
1401 E 8th St
Weslaco, TX 78596
(956)968-8567

Harlingen Medical Center
5501 S Expressway 77
Harlingen, TX 78550
(956)365-1000

Valley Baptist Medical Center
2101 Pease St
Harlingen, TX 78550
(956)389-1100

*Provider Directory Terms of Use:

The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval.

You are prohibited from using, downloading, republishing, selling, duplicating, or "scraping" for commercial or any other purpose whatsoever, the Provider Directory or any of the data listings or other information contained therein, in whole or in part, in any medium whatsoever.

The Provider Directory is provided on an "AS-IS" basis. WebMD disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for particular purpose. Without limiting the foregoing, WebMD does not warrant or represent that the Provider Directory or any part thereof is accurate or complete. You assume full responsibility for the communications with any Provider you contact through the Provider Directory. WebMD shall in no event be liable to you or to anyone for any decision made or action taken by you in the reliance on information provided in the Provider Directory.

The use of WebMD Provider Directory by any entity or individual to verify the credentials of Providers is prohibited. The database of Provider information which drives WebMD Provider Directory does not contain sufficient information with which to verify Provider credentials under the standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) of the Utilization Review Accreditation Committee (URAC).

By using the WebMD Provider Directory, you agree to these Terms and Conditions.